Russell Dean Earnshaw (born 8 April 1975) is a
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...
coach currently working in sport and business with the Magic Academy.
Club rugby
Earnshaw has played Premiership rugby with
West Hartlepool
West Hartlepool was a predecessor of Hartlepool, County Durham, England. It developed in the Victorian era and took the name from its western position in the parish of what is now known as the Headland.
The former town was originally formed in ...
,
Bath Rugby
Bath Rugby is a professional rugby union club in Bath, Somerset, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby.
Founded in 1865 as Bath Football Club, since 1894 the club has played at the Recreation Ground in the c ...
and
Rotherham Titans
Rotherham Rugby Union Football Club, or Rotherham Titans is a professional rugby union team from Rotherham, South Yorkshire, currently playing in the fourth tier of the English rugby union league system, following their relegation from the Nat ...
, winning the European Cup whilst at Bath. He then joined Worcester in Division 1 and helped them to win promotion to the Premiership before signing for Doncaster with whom he achieved Promotion to the Championship. While at University at Cambridge he played for the Blues side in two winning Varsity matches. In 2000 he was selected to play for the
Barbarians
A barbarian (or savage) is someone who is perceived to be either uncivilized or primitive. The designation is usually applied as a generalization based on a popular stereotype; barbarians can be members of any nation judged by some to be less c ...
in their match against
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
.
International rugby
Earnshaw has played for England on the IRB Sevens circuit, at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, and was part of the squad that played in the IRB World Series tournaments from 1999 to 2003.
He was assistant coach to the England 7's team from 2007-2013, retiring after the 2013 World Cup final defeat to New Zealand.
Coaching
While at Doncaster Earnshaw helped to coach the side and joined Pertemps Bees for the 07/08 season as player/forwards coach. Whilst there, he was head coach of Birmingham and Solihull Rugby Club and assistant coach of the England 7's team.
In 2010, Earnshaw completed the 'Great Escape' for
Birmingham & Solihull Rugby Club, leading them to an unexpected resurgence in the relegation playoffs, despite not having won a game for the entire season. Although Earnshaw dislocated his shoulder in the penultimate game; a defeat at home at the hands of relegation-rivals
Coventry
Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...
, Earnshaw lined up on the pitch at Billesley Common two weeks later to help the
Bees
Bees are winged insects closely related to wasps and ants, known for their roles in pollination and, in the case of the best-known bee species, the western honey bee, for producing honey. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamil ...
in their 34-38 defeat of
Moseley
Moseley is a suburb of south Birmingham, England, south of the city centre. The area is a popular cosmopolitan residential location and leisure destination, with a number of bars and restaurants. The area also has a number of boutiques and ot ...
.
Between 2007 and 2013, England won several tournaments on the World Series including back-to-back Dubai titles in 2011 and 2012, the Twickenham Sevens in 2009, plus England's first ever victory in Wellington in 2009 and more recently again in 2013. In 2013, England won the silver medal at the 7's Rugby World Cup in Moscow.
Earnshaw also coached the GB Students side to World University Champions in 2012 and England U18's Women's team to the European title in 2014.
Earnshaw also took a sabbatical from sport to teach Economics and coach rugby at Eastbourne College, he is a Level 4 RFU coach, Coach Developer, Coach Educator and Level 4 mentor.
Having coached both England U18's and U20's, Earnshaw now works across sports and business and is assistant coach for England Women's 35's touch team.
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Earnshaw, Russell
Bath Rugby players
Birmingham & Solihull R.F.C. players
Living people
Sportspeople from Stockton-on-Tees
Rotherham Titans players
1975 births
Barbarian F.C. players